If my fingers hurt too much in the beginning, what can I do?
Be patient.
The more you play guitar, the muscles in your hands may begin to hurt - gently shake out your hands. Wiggle your fingers. Most importantly, be kind to yourself and REST. It's slow and steady here. Give your body ample time to heal and strengthen.
Your fingertips may (and will very likely) begin to hurt when pressing strings onto the fretboard. This is how we build calluses. This does not happen overnight. Building calluses takes time - again, slow and steady progress.
Simply put: if you experience pain when playing guitar. Stop! Give your hands a rest.
Take a walk, read, contemplate your current lesson, listen to some music...whatever!
THE GREAT NEWS IS: After learning how to play (and playing) barre chords (in Beginner Part 2) for a month, these growing pains subside and become a thing of the past. By this time, your hands will have developed the strength, calluses, stamina, and dexterity needed to play without as much (if any) thought to the physicality of the tasks at hand. As guitar players, we are asking our hands to perform in ways that are very specialized - and the required super-fine-motor-skill micro-adjustments are happening all the time. This is why we remain mindful and sometimes focus on our technique.
Every time you see a guitarist playing, you know she/he went through the same process. It's like a club. We'll call it the Callus Club. Welcome! If you can make barre chords or "bend a whole step" without any difficulty, you have paid your dues in full.
Calluses are a part of the guitar-playing journey. Respect your body. Be mindful and patient of your body and the journey. Pain is a sign that we are going too far too fast. While some discomfort is to be expected and is a normal part of building strength, stamina, and calluses, abject pain is a sign to slow down. Pain is a signal to take it more slowly. Self-compassion and patience are essential in the beginning.
ABOVE ALL ELSE - DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!
Chris
PS I plan to post more on this topic.
PPS As with anything health-related, consult your doctor.